Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

2naSalit

(86,048 posts)
4. Silver lining...
Mon Nov 23, 2020, 02:07 PM
Nov 2020

I have stated this several times since mid March, and discussed it with a few academic friends and they agree with my idea.

This pandemic and all the other issues we are enduring currently can lead to great opportunity that would have taken much longer to act decisively upon had we not been faced with these problems.

A famous Anthropologist, Stephen Jay Gould, worked out a theory involving genetic evolution which I think can be applied in a human culture environment. His theory of Punctuated Equilibrium*, a concept to describe genetic evolutionary splits, is something I see taking place throughout humankind since the beginning of this pandemic. We, all humans, are faced with this one common threat and we are being forced to deal with it simultaneously. This threat forces us to re-evaluate our lifestyles, health, manner of communication, everything in our daily lives is affected in some way.

I see a rearrangement of cultural norms and practices in the present. It's a punctuated equilibrium event that will end up being a shift in psychological, philosophical and cultural norms to a great degree by the time we get to the other side of this pandemic.

The opportunity is that we can make numerous changes in how we go forward from this and appropriate planning now can facilitate a rapid shift in the right direction to ensure our survival as time goes on. This isn't the first biological threat of this sort that we will see as we keep increasing our population as a species, there will be more so we have to prepare for that including addressing uncomfortable topics, like population numbers.



*Punctuated equilibrium theory, basically, claims that evolution didn't happen at a gradual pace throughout time but in many cases was foisted upon those affected by major events upsetting the norm and hastening distinct changes due to necessity for survival. I realize that is a simple explanation but for my argument it will do, and I know his theory was about genetic evolution but I see a similar set if events taking place on the human cultural level and it's the best description I can find for the time being.


A few thoughts this Monday... [View all] PCIntern Nov 2020 OP
that twilight zone episode? SleeplessinSoCal Nov 2020 #1
A Horrifying turn of events --- and that's if we're lucky. hedda_foil Nov 2020 #2
PCIntern.... Upthevibe Nov 2020 #3
Silver lining... 2naSalit Nov 2020 #4
Latest Discussions»General Discussion»A few thoughts this Monda...»Reply #4